My 8 year old daughter is having gas issues. She has always been gassy but never any problems, she usually holds it in at school, but every day last week when she held it in she came home complaining of a severe belly ache. She would lay on her belly and "Toot" alot then she would be fine, but what to do as she cant be "Tooting" in the middle of class I dont imagine, any suggestions?

My daughter has always been gassy and has had acid problems. She was put on Prevacid and its helped. She had severe stomach pains too and that ended up being her appendix. This was pain that would come and go, but finally became constant and became worse and never ebbed. If the pain becomes severe, consider that, but if you think its acid, consider antacids. Hope she feels better!

Children who have no physical abnormalities or disorders and who aren't ill and who enjoy a balanced diet and the traditional child-type lifestyle shouldn't be excessively gassy or have stomach or belly pains...

It is quite normal for kids, like adults to fart or belch around a dozen times every day - this is partly due to methane generated by the microbe activity in our gut, acid activity in our stomachs and air swallowed during eating...

Our modern lifestyles where kids do not run around enough is responsible for lots of problems and feeding them too much refined sugar and processed foods and drinks laced with caffeine are responsible for most of the rest...

Try sitting down at a table for meals, encourage children not to be distracted while eating and to chew food thoroughly before swallowing and then to sit quietly for up to 20 minutes before going back to chopping firewood or falling out of the treehouse or whatever physical activity is going to give the gut a good shaking up and help keep things moving a-pace inside...

It is also never too soon to teach our kids not to be unduly embarassed about natural bodily functions and how belching with the mouth closed is more socially acceptable (followed by "I do beg your pardon", or just "pardon") and how to fart or break wind silently prevents both the discomfort and everyone in class laughing and pointing...